European Kingdoms

Barbarians

Huns

These Asiatic horse warriors are understood to have originated in the Ordos
region of Mongolia. Usually identified as the Hsiung-nu (Xiongnu) people in
contemporary
Chinese
records, they may not have formed this group directly but could have been
part of a temporary confederation that included them (as could the similarly
obscure
Göktürks
who did not migrate alongside them). For whatever reason (probably population
pressure on traditional hunting grounds) they began a migration towards the
west in the fourth century AD. In the 360s, they were in Scythia (also known
as Samartia), a wide range of plains to the north of the Black Sea which
reached as far as the Caspian Sea (now largely contained within
Ukraine). For millennia this
region had provided good feed for cattle and good horse-raising opportunities
that were vital for its various nomadic dwellers, largely
Indo-Europeans
and their descendants until the third to six centuries AD.

Once established in Scythia, by the 370s, they clashed with the
GermanicOstrogoths
and other barbarians on the northern borders of the
Roman empire. They were
described at this time as a loose confederation of nomadic tribes. Once
they reached the Danube, they established their main base in the the
Carpathian basin, part of the Roman province of Pannonia. This region
eventually came to be known after them as
Hungary, although
later Hungarians referred to themselves as
Magyars, thanks
to the ninth century invasion of Pannonia by that group.

It is a matter of contention as to whether the Huns had a single, overall
leader before 374. The historian Ammianus Marcellinus, writing circa
395 states that they had no kings, and that each group was lead by a 'primate'.
Perhaps the greater chance of large-scale conquests and the opportunity of
facing more organised enemies in
Europe forced them
to accept a single leader.

(Information on AD 453 by Peter Klinko. Further rulers' names (in
red) by Kemal Cemal. Additional information
by Edward Dawson, from The World of the Huns, Chapter IX, Language,
O Maenchen-Helfen, and from The Barbarians: Warriors & Wars of the
Dark Ages, Tim Newark (Blandford Press, 1985).)

c.360

Vund

Hunnic leader before the entry into Scythia.

c.360 - 378

Balamber / Balamir

Possibly
fictitious to cover the beginnings of European invasion.

372

The Huns cross the River Volga which empties into the Caspian Sea. They
burst into Scythia and stir up a wave of rumours and horror stories which
sweep through Europe, and reach the ears of the
Romans by 376.
They clash with a group of steppe people called the
Alans, defeating them. The
Alans have little choice but to become Hunnic allies.

372 - 432

The
Huns and Alans arrive in the
territory north of the Danube and take control of the steppeland which lies
above the Black Sea. The region is nominally under the control of the
Ostrogoths,
and is peopled by Gepids,
Heruli, Illirs (called
Pannons by the Romans, they later give their name to Illyria - the region
at the top of the Adriatic Sea),
Scirii, and Avars, plus some
Saxons
who had settled in Dacia (later
Transylvania) and quite
probably the southernmost groups of
Venedi. The
GermanicRugian kingdom in
Austria is also made a client
state and the Quadi are
effectively destroyed. The Huns eventually unify and only then begin to
threaten the Western Roman
empire. They start by clashing with the mighty Ostrogoths, overrunning them,
and in 376 they also defeat the
Visigoths.

The approach of the Huns into Central Europe spread terror and
fear, and not without good reason as their unfamiliar battle
tactics defeated opponent after opponent

The
Alans leave the Western Huns
of Uldiz behind when they cross the Rhine along with the
Suevi and
Vandali, both of which have
been forced to migrate westwards by the Hunnic invasion. The death of Uldiz
leads to the Hunnic confederation splitting into three main groups which are
not fully reunited until Attila's reign.

c.410 - 412

Donatus

Khan of the Eastern Huns of the Black Sea.

c.412 - 415

Charaton / Karaton / Karatun / Aksungur

Charaton and Aksungur may be western and eastern rulers.

c.415?

Continuing their southwards migration, the
Langobards
enter 'Vurgundaib', which is believed to be the original lands of the
Burgundians. Once there, they
are attacked in their encampment by 'Bulgars', probably the Huns. They are
defeated, their king is killed, and they are subjugated. However, it seems
that they quickly rise up under the leadership of the king's son and inflict an unusual defeat
on the Huns, although how long it takes for this to happen after their
subjugation is unclear.

c.415 - 422

Bendeguz
/ Muncuk

c.422 - 432

Octar
/ Uptar

Brother. Reunited
some elements of the Huns.

c.422

Octar's
name is an interesting example of Hunnic names being recorded in non-Hunnic
forms. O Maenchen-Helfen says: 'Before the
East Romans had
any contact with the Huns, they heard about them from the
Goths. They
must have heard many names as they were pronounced by Goths and other non-Huns,
[including the Gaulish
tribes in the Balkans. Even after it had been recorded as Octar by Jordanes],
Octar's name underwent some alteration in the course of transmission. The
transition from "-ct-" to "-pt-" is characteristic of
Balkans Latin, [and it] was probably there that Octar became Optar-Uptar'.
Which suggests that Gaulish tribes in the Balkans were following the usual
Celtic habit of swapping
'k' to 'p' even this late.

c.432 - 434

Rua / Rugila

Brother. United the Huns under a single kingship.

434 - 453

Attila

Son of Bendeguz.
Died in bed.

434 - 445

Bleda / Buda

Brother. Joint ruler.
Killed by Attila.

434 - 453

Although
highly successful in his initial command of the Huns, Attila never takes
his people into the Roman empire to settle among the rich villa estates:
the aim of all barbarians. Instead he leads major incursions into
Roman,
Byzantine and
Goth
territory. There are also incursions into southern
Lithuania around this time,
suggesting the Huns or their allies also raid northwards.

451

To preserve their new domains, the
Visigoths fight on
the side of Rome to halt the
advance of the Huns at the Battle of the Catalaunian Plains, in the former
territory of the Catalauni.
Atilia is aided by his own allies, which include the
Gepids,
Ostrogoths,
Rugii, and
Scirii. Although both sides
fight to a standstill, it is Attila who withdraws and it is seen as his first
major defeat, ending his reputation for invincibility.

452

By
this time, the Hun headquarters are situated on the west bank of the
Danube at Sicambria (Roman Aquincum, and modern Buda). Attila meets
Pope Leo I and is persuaded
not to attack and destroy
Rome, and also to give
up slaughtering Christians. Even so, his approach into
Italy causes panic,
and refugees from Aquileia and other cities which had been burned down by
Attila before his meeting with the Pope escape into the lagoon marshes and
form a settlement which becomes Venice.

453

Upon
the death of Attila, his sons fight each other for control, and the Huns
begin to dissolve as a cohesive entity. Many elements of the empire start
drifting away, some returning to their homelands. A sudden appearance of
Romansolidi to
the south of the Baltic Sea suggests that various
Germanic groups return
to their former homelands here, merging into the melting pot of leftovers
known as the
Vidivarii.

Despite his great success over the barbarian tribes of eastern
and central Europe, Attila's stalemate against an allied
Roman-led army in 451 was a blow to his prestige, and his death
soon afterwards caused his empire to crumble

453 - 454

Ellac
/ Ilek

Son of Attila. Killed in battle.

454

Ellac is defeated and killed at the Battle of Nedao by an alliance between
Ardaric, king of the Gepids,
and former Hunnic subjects. The defeat ends any presumption by the Huns to
be the major power in the region. The Pannonian basin is occupied by the Gepids,
while the Rugii head for
Bohemia
and northern Austria.

The
Ostrogoths
defeat and rout Attila's sons in their fight for independence. The central
core of Huns apparently divides into the
Kutrigur Bulgars and the
Utigur Bulgars (the
'Bulgarian Huns'). Dengisich
may be king (khan) of the former, while Ernakh could be king the latter. The
two also apparently control the Altyn Oba
horde during their lifetimes. The alternative is that the Kutrigurs and Utigurs
are named after, and are led by, two of Ernakh's sons.

The Ostrogoths reassert power over the region following their military
victory, and most Huns drift back to Scythia. They probably take
elements of various subject groups including the
Venedi with them,
one of the latter of which seemingly reappears in 668, while others remain
behind, including further Venedi, probably the bulk of them. One group of
Huns and their subjects settles permanently in Dacia (the Szekelys). They
find that the plains of Pannonia (essentially western
Hungary, northern
Croatia,
Slovenia, and eastern
Austria) to the west of
Dacia, secured by the Carpathians, is a perfect place in which to maintain
their nomadic lifestyle, with its wide open grazing lands.

Another group which migrates post-Atilla is that of the so-called 'Gothi
minores', according to Jordanes. They still lead a secluded existence
in their mountain refuge a century after arriving there, close to Nicopolis
ad Istrum (Thrace -
its ruins are located at the village of Nikyup, in modern northern
Bulgaria).

Ernakh governs the surviving eastern territories, and is king of the Akathirs,
a Turkic tribe within Roman
territory (probably the Utigurs). It is
claimed by Procopius that his two sons later share power and give their name
to their subjugated people, who emerge in two groups named the
Kutrigur Bulgars and the
Utigur Bulgars.

Altyn Ola Horde

This grouping was a division of the
Huns. The death of Attila in
453 led to his sons fighting each other for control, and the Hun
confederation began to dissolve as a cohesive entity. The following year,
the core Hunnic lands were conquered by the
Gepids, scattering them, and
within two years Attila's sons had been routed by the
Ostrogoths.
Two main branches emerged, the Kutrigurs
and the Utigurs, A third grouping, the
Altyn Ola, may have been a division of the Kutrigurs. It is referred to in
some sources but its existence cannot be fully confirmed, so perhaps it was
merely a more westerly extension of the Kutrigurs. It remained on the
northern side of the Black Sea, in modern
Ukraine, and west of the River
Don.

The
Altyn Ola are absorbed by the early Bulgars, probably immediately prior to
the formation of
Great Bulgaria. This does not mean that they become part of the later
Bulgarian state, which is a much smaller entity. Instead they probably
dissipate into the surrounding population in
Ukraine. However, the notion
that Hun descendants may enter
the Bulgarian gene pool seems to be highly controversial and open to strong
objections. If it happens at all, the number of actual Huns rather than
their many subject peoples who are not of Hunnish descent is likely to be a
minute part of the population.

The plains of Pannonia (now western Hungary) were not under
Hunnic domination for very long, before they were forced back
towards the east

Kutrigur Bulgars

Not necessarily ethnically Bulgars as such but perhaps formed of a
combination of Huns and Bulgars, the Kutrigurs formed a division
of the Huns. The death of Attila
in 453 led to his sons fighting each other for control, and the Hun
confederation began to dissolve as a cohesive entity. The following year,
the core Hunnic lands were conquered by the
Gepids, scattering them, and
within two years Attila's sons had been routed by the
Ostrogoths.
Two main branches emerged, the Kutrigurs and the
Utigurs, but they may not have been
formalised as such until the next generation of leaders succeeded Attila's
sons. One of these, Kutrigur, son of Ernakh, perhaps gave his name to this
particular grouping which migrated to the west of the River Don.

The Kutrigurs are enlisted as allies by the
Gepids, whose kingdom is under threat by the
Langobards and
Eastern Romans. They are ferried across the Danube either in 550 or 551
but Emperor Justinian immediately brings into action his own allies, the
Utigurs, cousins of the Kutrigurs. The
Utigurs request help of their own allies, the Tetraxite Ostrogoths of the
Crimea. The latter invade the Kutrigur homeland, taking advantage of the
absence of the main Kutrigur force of warriors, and the Kutrigurs are forced
to abandon their mission and return to defend their homeland on the
north-western shore of the Black Sea.

582 - 584

Gostun

c.584 - 600s

The
Altyn Ola are absorbed by the early Bulgars, probably immediately prior to
the formation of
Great Bulgaria. This does not mean that they become part of the later
Bulgarian state, which is a much smaller entity. Instead they probably
dissipate into the surrounding population in
Ukraine. However, the notion
that Hun descendants may enter
the Bulgarian gene pool seems to be highly controversial and open to strong
objections. If it happens at all, the number of actual Huns rather than
their many subject peoples who are not of Hunnish descent is likely to be a
minute part of the population.

Utigur Bulgars

Not necessarily ethnically Bulgars as such but perhaps formed of a
combination of Huns and Bulgars, the Utigurs (or Akathirs) formed
a division of the
Huns. The death of Attila in
453 led to his sons fighting each other for control, and the Hun
confederation began to dissolve as a cohesive entity. The following year,
the core Hunnic lands were conquered by the
Gepids, scattering them, and
within two years Attila's sons had been routed by the
Ostrogoths.
Two main branches emerged, the Kutrigurs
and the Utigurs, but they may not have been formalised as such until the
next generation of leaders succeeded Attila's sons. One of these, Uturgur,
son of Ernakh, perhaps gave his name to this particular grouping which
migrated to the River Don, probably alongside the Kutrigurs, and crossed the
river to resettle on its eastern side.

The Kutrigurs are
enlisted as allies by the Gepids,
whose kingdom is under threat by the
Langobards and
Eastern Romans. They are ferried across the Danube either in 550 or 551
but Emperor Justinian immediately brings into action his own allies, the Utigurs,
cousins of the Kutrigurs. The Utigurs request help of their own allies, the
Tetraxite Ostrogoths of the Crimea. The latter invade the Kutrigur homeland,
taking advantage of the absence of the main Kutrigur force of warriors, and
the Kutrigurs are forced to abandon their mission and return to defend their
homeland on the north-western shore of the Black Sea.

c.560s - 600s

The
Altyn Ola are absorbed by the early Bulgars, probably immediately prior to
the formation of
Great Bulgaria.This does not mean that they become part of the later
Bulgarian state, which is a much smaller entity. Instead they probably
dissipate into the surrounding population in
Ukraine. However, the notion
that Hun descendants may enter
the Bulgarian gene pool seems to be highly controversial and open to strong
objections. If it happens at all, the number of actual Huns rather than
their many subject peoples who are not of Hunnish descent is likely to be a
minute part of the population.

896

The
region of Pannonia, and whatever Hunnic descendants it still contains, is
subjugated by the invading
Magyars. Popular theory
claims that it retains its Hunnic-inspired name, even when the Magyars later
form the kingdom of
Hungary
(although this is largely disproved in the introduction for the Magyars). Other
elements of the Hunnic peoples may resurface in the early
Bulgarian state in the early
eighth century, whatever the modern objections against such a possibility.